Ralph 124C 41+: A Romance of the Year 2660

"Ralph 124C 41+" is the only novel by the American writer and inventor Hugo Gernsback—a person after whom the science fiction literature award "Hugo Awards" is named. Written in 1911, "Ralph 124C 41+" has the subtitle "A Novel of Life in the Year 2660" for a reason. In it, Gernsback predicts a wide range of future technologies that we already use today: whether it’s video calls or electric roller skates for getting around the city. But "Ralph" is not only an attempt to look into the future. It’s also a love story and an adventure novel with chases, where the winner is the one who best knows how to take advantage of the newest scientific discoveries and technical achievements. This edition includes an afterword by the well-known science popularizer Vladimir Surdin, who described the theoretical possibility—or impossibility—of the devices Gernsback wrote about, and how his ideas have already come true.

About the author: Hugo Gernsback was a Luxembourg-American inventor, publisher, writer, and editor, known as the "father of science fiction." He invented many things, including a radio receiver. He popularized the genre, and his contribution was recognized with the Hugo Award—an annual award for the best science fiction and fantasy works.